---
title: A cartoon shows a fox in a food chain that lives for ever because no… — Why living things die, and the circle… · tree and pragmatics
description: A cartoon shows a fox in a food chain that lives for ever because nothing eats it. What does it get wrong? Test 6 · ★ of lesson 53 «Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question
---

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# Test 6 · ★ · Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cartoon shows a fox in a food chain that lives for ever because nothing eats it. What does it get wrong?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** cartoon, food chain, nothing · **What happens:** show, live, eat, get · **To what, where:** fox

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 6 · ★ of lesson 53 «Why living things die, and the circle of life in nature» of the religion ethics course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/religion-ethics/53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life/#t6).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A cartoon shows a fox in a food chain that lives for ever because nothing eats it.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:t6:1
# text = A cartoon shows a fox in a food chain that lives for ever because nothing eats it.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	shows	show	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
7	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
8	food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
9	chain	chain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
10	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	11	nsubj	_	_
11	lives	live	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	acl:relcl	_	_
12	for	for	ADP	IN	_	13	case	_	_
13	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	11	obl	_	_
14	because	because	SCONJ	IN	_	16	mark	_	_
15	nothing	nothing	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Neg	16	nsubj	_	_
16	eats	eat	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
17	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	16	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | a cartoon | a fox |  |  |  | in a food chain | vn crane-40.3.2 «NP V NP PP.recipient PP.theme»: agent=Agent fox=Patient in chain=Topic |
| 2 | **live** | present | a food chain |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **eat** | present | nothing | fox |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What does it get wrong?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:t6:2
# text = What does it get wrong?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	4	obj	_	_
2	does	do	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	wrong	wrong	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **get** | present · do-support | cartoon |  |  |  |  | wrong *property* | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer what=Stimulus |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Every fox dies, and decomposers return it to the soil

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:t6:o1:1
# text = Every fox dies, and decomposers return it to the soil
1	Every	every	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	2	det	_	_
2	fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	dies	die	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	7	cc	_	_
6	decomposers	decomposer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	7	nsubj	_	_
7	return	return	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	obj	_	_
9	to	to	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
10	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
11	soil	soil	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **die** | present | every fox |  |  |  |  |  | vn calibratable\_cos-45.6.1 «NP.attribute V»: agent=Attribute |
| 2 | **return** | present | decomposers | fox |  | the soil |  |  | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent it=Theme to soil=Destination |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Food chains always end with a dragon or some other monster

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:t6:o2:1
# text = Food chains always end with a dragon or some other monster
1	Food	food	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	compound	_	_
2	chains	chain	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
3	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	4	advmod	_	_
4	end	end	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	with	with	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	dragon	dragon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
9	some	some	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	11	det	_	_
10	other	other	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	monster	monster	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **end** | present | Food chains |  |  |  |  | with a dragon or some other monster; always *property* | vn stop-55.4-1-1 «NP V NP.eventuality PP.subeventuality»: agent=Affector with dragon=Subeventuality |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Foxes really do live for ever out in the wild, if left alone

```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:t6:o3:1
# text = Foxes really do live for ever out in the wild, if left alone
1	Foxes	fox	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
2	really	really	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
3	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux	_	_
4	live	live	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
5	for	for	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	ever	ever	ADV	RB	PronType=Ind	7	advmod	_	_
7	out	out	ADV	RB	_	4	obl	_	_
8	in	in	ADP	IN	_	10	case	_	_
9	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	wild	wild	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
13	left	leave	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	4	parataxis	_	_
14	alone	alone	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	13	xcomp	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **live** | present · do-support | Foxes |  |  | the wild |  |  | vn lodge-46 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme in wild=Location |
| 2 | **leave** *a condition, not said to happen* | participle |  |  |  |  |  | alone *property* | vn escape-51.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Foxes eat the sun itself in the end, at the top of the chain

<!-- fold The tree, 14 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:religion-ethics:53-why-living-things-die-and-the-circle-of-life:t6:o4:1
# text = Foxes eat the sun itself in the end, at the top of the chain
1	Foxes	fox	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nsubj	_	_
2	eat	eat	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	sun	sun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
5	itself	itself	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Emp|Reflex=Yes	4	nmod	_	_
6	in	in	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	12	punct	_	_
10	at	at	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	top	top	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obl	_	_
13	of	of	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
14	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
15	chain	chain	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	12	nmod	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **eat** | present | Foxes | the sun  sun |  |  | in the end | at the top of the chain | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent sun=Patient |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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